The invention relates generally to data processing, and more particularly, to a data processing system incorporating instruction folding.
Lower power design techniques have been gaining importance in microprocessor and microcontroller design due to the widespread use of portable and hand held applications. Such applications require long battery life and low system cost. Furthermore, many of the applications embedded within these microprocessors and microcontrollers are characterized by spending a large fraction of execution time in program loops. These applications include paging, automobile control, signal processing, imaging and fax applications.
Therefore, a need exists for a low power, low cost system capable of improving the execution of these program loops to reduce an application""s execution time.